That was definitely me last year. I told everyone (well, everyone who would listen - which was a lot of people, because they also hated Instagram) about how much I hated Instagram.

But this year, I knew I had to change my perspective. I had to start seeing Instagram more positively, because it was hurting my progress and how I used the app.

I was constantly feeling drained, overwhelmed, and quite frankly, annoyed.

Here are 4 reasons why we all need to stop hating on Instagram:

1. It’s not going anywhere.

Regardless of what people have said, most are still using it anyway.

I mean -- how many times have you heard people say they’re going to stop using the app only to see them on the app a few weeks later? (This isn’t me placing judgment btw. Just stating what I see and what I’ve done myself.)

The truth of the matter is that despite how annoyed we may be at Instagram at times, they’ve created a product that have hooked most of us and most of the people we want to interact with.

Be honest, how many times a day do you find yourself opening up Instagram to see what’s new?

2. It’s a mindset and perspective thing.

It really is.

When I kept telling myself how much I hated Instagram last year, let’s just said it did not end well for me. I was constantly exhausted and drained, and it showed.

What we choose to focus on becomes our reality.

So this year, I told myself things would be different. That I was going to enjoy Instagram and look at the positives (instead of focusing on reasons 1, 2, and 3 of “why Instagram sucks”.

Instead, I choose to focus on reasons 1, 2, and 3 of why Instagram is awesome, which leads me to reason 3.

3. It’s free to use!

Yes, we’ve all helped Instagram grow - because without us using it, it wouldn’t be the platform it is today.

But at the same time, it’s still a free tool to use - and an amazing one at that.

I’ve met SO many amazing people through Instagram and I’ve even been able to meet some of them in person.

Pro tip: Rather than focusing on how not everyone will see your posts, think about how to make your photos more fun and engaging. Have fun and be creative with it.

The truth is we have more control than we think.

When we think we don’t have any control or say, we give our power away.

4. You can build and grow your brand using Instagram.

As we’ve all seen with brands, influencers, etc., it’s possible to create and grow your brand on Instagram.

Is it going to be easy? No, but most good things in life aren’t easy.

Overnight success doesn’t exist, but long-term success does.

At the end of the day, you get out what you put in. So the more effort and work you put into your Instagram, you more you’ll get out of it.

I’ve seen the change in growth myself once I started posting more photos of myself and writing better captions.

If you want better results, improve the way you use Instagram.

Talk to people first, instead of hoping they’ll come to you first.

Write captions that people can actually respond to. (You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to respond to something, but had no idea what to say. You can say “great photo!! *emoji* only so many times until you start feeling inauthentic about it.)